THE BAR CODE CHEAT SHEETS

THE BAR CODE 2013

DEFAMATION
Defamation
Common Law defamation requires a showing of: (1) a defamatory statement; (2) of or concerning
plaintiff; (3) publication; (4) damages.
Defamatory Statement
A defamatory statement is one that injures a plaintiffs reputation and tends to subject plaintiff to
hatred, contempt and ridicule or financial injury.
Insert facts here 1
Of or Concerning Plaintiff
The plaintiff must establish that a reasonable recipient of the information would understand that
the statement referred to plaintiff.
Insert facts here 2
Publication
Publication requires that the statement be communicated to a third party who understands the
defamatory meaning and its application to plaintiff.
Insert facts here
Damages
The type of damages the plaintiff must prove depends on the type of defamation.3

1
SHOW how the statement is defamatory (when discussing the effect on ones reputation, discuss employment,
church, friends, school, family, etc.). Also, remember that statements of opinion are generally not defamatory. Only statements of fact that are verifiable constitute actionable defamation. Nonetheless, simply labeling speech as opinion does not
insulate it from liability if the opinion itself implies facts. I know thats probably clear as mud, so lets look at an example:
If you run around the office telling everyone that, in your opinion, your boss is a jerk and an alcoholic, you are teetering
on the edge of possible defamation. The jerk part is clearly opinion, as its not capable of bring proven true or false. The
alcoholic part is more like a fact, as you are implying some sort of factual knowledge about his/her addiction to alcohol.
But theres no reason to waste time writing about the opinion/fact distinction on a bar exam essay if the statement is clearly
a fact. Just move on.
2
Dont spend too much time on this element if the plaintiff is directly named. If the plaintiffs name is
unclear, however, or if the plaintiff is only ambiguously referenced but not directly named (i.e., the female professor who
teaches Torts at Boston College) consider discussing the issue of COLLOQUIUM (but only write about it if it applies).
3

Now go directly to writing about the one that applies - libel or slander.

1.

TORTS

Libel
Libel is defamation that is written. When libel occurs, general damages are presumed.
However, the plaintiff may offer actual evidence of damages to increase his or her award.
Insert facts here4
Libel Per Se and Libel Per Quod
In a minority of jurisdictions, courts distinguish between libel per se (libel that
is defamatory on its face) and libel per quod (not defamatory on its face).
Insert facts here 5
Slander
Slander is defamation that is spoken. In cases of slander, plaintiff must prove damages
unless the defamation is slander per se.
Slander Per Se 6
Slander per se exists when the defamatory statement: (1) adversely reflects
ones conduct in a business or profession; (2) accuses one of having a loathsome disease; (3) accuses one of a guilt involving a crime of moral turpitude;
or (4) suggests a woman is unchaste.
Insert facts here 7
Constitutional Defamation
When the defamation involves a matter of public concern, the plaintiff must prove two additional
elements: (1) falsity; and (2) fault.

Is the defamation written or printed? Get out of this fast.

5
Dont spend a lot of time unless the statement is libel per quod not obviously defamatory. A lot of people
are confused by libel per quod. A statement that is libel per quod (not obviously defamatory) is one for which extrinsic
evidence is required to prove its injurious nature. For example, the written statement Patty was distributing Romney for
President! bumper stickers at school last Wednesday is not defamatory on its face, unless extrinsic evidence is offered to
prove that Patty is an intern for President Obama. In that case, the statement about Patty could cause her reputational harm
and financial injury, and therefore is libel per quod.
6

Do NOT write about slander per se unless one of the types applies. You will not have time.

7
Write about only those that apply. Usually one of these applies if the defamation is spoken. The bar examiners
love the crimes of moral turpitude and the statements about ones business or profession.

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THE BAR CODE CHEAT SHEETS

THE BAR CODE 2013

Matter of Public Concern

Insert facts here 8
Falsity
Insert facts here
Fault
The type of fault plaintiff must prove depends on whether the plaintiff is a public or
private figure.9 If the plaintiff is a private figure, negligence must be shown. If plaintiff is a public figure, malice must be shown.10
Malice
Malice is defined as knowledge that the defamatory statement was false or
reckless disregard as to the statements truth.
Insert facts here
Negligence
Insert facts here11
8
Is this a matter of public concern? This is usually debatable (President sleeping with an intern, etc.). Use all of
the facts. Also, always bring up constitutional defamation even if you ultimately conclude that it isnt a matter of public
concern. Just dont analyze falsity and fault.
Also, one major mistake people make here is jumping to whether the PERSON is public or private before discussing
whether the ISSUE is one of public concern. Those are two very distinct steps that occur at different times. Remember
to start with WHAT the issue is first (is it one of public concern?) and then go to WHO the issue concerns (a public or
private person?). WHAT then WHO. Those go in alphabetical order so they are easy to remember.
9
There are rule statements for whether a plaintiff is a public or private figure, but they are mostly common sense,
so dont stress too much about it. It mostly depends on whether the plaintiff voluntarily put herself the public eye (e.g., actors, politicians, commentators, etc.), so remember to use words like voluntary and intent in your analysis.
A good bar exam essay would be someone in the middle, like infamous intern, Monica Lewinsky, the notorious sorority girl
whose absurd email went viral without her consent, or family members of well-known criminal suspects, like Casey Anthony, who, through no fault of their own, end up being dragged through the court of public opinion. The bar examiners just
want to see good factual analysis when the issue is in the grey area. They care less about the precise conclusion you reach.
10

Include only the heading that applies (malice v. negligence).

11
Dont get trapped into writing a full torts negligence analysis here (with duty, breach, causation and damages). All
that is required is a brief discussion of reasonableness or carelessness on the part of the defendant with respect to the truth
of the statement. Also, remember that this element only applies when the plaintiff is a private figure.

3.

TORTS

Defenses to Defamation12
Truth
Insert facts here13
Consent
Insert facts here
Absolute Privilege
Defendant may assert an absolute privilege for remarks made: (1) during judicial proceedings;
(2) by legislators in debate; (3) by federal executive officials; (4) in compelled broadcasts; and
(5) in between spouses.
Insert facts here
Qualified Privilege
Defendant may assert a qualified privilege for: (1) reports of official proceedings; (2) state-
ments in the interest of publisher; (3) statements in the interest of the recipient; and
(4) statements in the common interest of the publisher and recipient.14

Insert facts here

12
Write about only those defenses that apply. Do not even write the definitions of the defenses that do not apply;
you will not have time.
13
This defense doesnt apply if you already wrote about consitutional defamation because under that theory the
plaintiff had the burden of proving falsity.
14
This is tricky. The qualified privilege may be lost if the statement goes outside the scope of the privilege, which
means that the defendant either made the statement to more parties than just the interested recipient, gave the recipient
details outside the scope of the defined interest (for example, a former employer telling a potential future employer details
about job applicants sexual history when the phone call was just for a job reference), or the defendant acted with malice
when the statement was made. It is worth noting that in some states, the plaintiff need not show malice but only a lack of
good faith on the part of the defendant in making the statement.

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CRIMINAL LAW

MURDER
Criminal Homicide
At common law, the term homicide was used to describe three different types of unlawful killings:
murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.1
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another person with malice aforethought. Malice aforethought exists when there is either: (1) intent to kill; (2) intent to inflict great bodily injury;
(3) reckless indifference to an injustifiably high risk to human life; (4) intent to commit a
felony that results in a killing (felony murder).2
Insert facts here 3
Felony Murder
Any death caused during the commission of, or in the attempt to commit, a felony is
murder. Malice aforethought is implied by the defendants intent to commit a felony.
Today, statutory law distinguishes between first-degree felony murder and all other
felony murders.

1
Remember that murder is just ONE way in which a homicide can occur, so dont forget to take a step back and
introduce homicide first if the question is about homicide. However, most bar exam questions ask directly about murder or
the statutory degrees of murder. When that is the case, just jump over homicide and right into the type of murder that directly
answers the question. This cheat sheet is VERY flexible and can be rearranged quite easily.
Also, capital murder (murder that merits the sentence of death or capital punishment) is not discussed in this cheat sheet.
Make sure you review it though. When its tested, you will know because the question will directly ask about it and there
will likely be a capital punishment statute involved in the question.
2
The biggest mistake people make on murder questions is putting felony murder in the wrong place. Most people
just jump right into discussing it without introducing it as a TYPE of malice aforethought. Organization is important and the
readers will be looking to see that you know where felony murder fits in the grand scheme of things.
3
Discuss only the element that applies here and give it its own heading. Was there intent to kill? Was there intent to
commit serious bodily injury? How do you know? SHOW the reader what words or actions of the defendant illustrate his or
her intent! Dont just make a conclusion that intent was present. If the killing is clearly only a felony murder, make a quick
statement about how, based on the facts, intent to kill was likely NOT present (because there was only intent to commit the
felony) and move on to felony murder.

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THE BAR CODE CHEAT SHEETS

THE BAR CODE 2013

First-Degree Felony Murder4

First-degree felony murder occurs when a killing occurs during the course of
an enumerated felony that is inherently dangerous. In most jurisdictions, the
enumerated felonies are arson, robbery, burglary, rape, mayhem and
kidnapping.
Insert facts here 5
Elements of Felony Murder
In order to convict a defendant of felony murder: (1) the defendant must be
guilty of the underlying felony; (2) the felony must be distinct from the
killing itself; (3) death must have been the foreseeable result of the felony;
and (4) the death must have occurred during the commission of the felony
and not after it was terminated.
Guilty of Underlying Felony
Insert facts here 6

4
Only discuss first-degree felony murder if it applies; in other words only discuss it if one of the enumerated felonies
was perpetrated. Also, if the question asks about straight first degree murder, you should discuss first-degree felony murder
if it applies because it is ONE of the ways in which a defendant can be charged with straight first-degree murder. However,
you should be careful to keep the difference between the two in mind (straight first-degree murder v. first-degree felony
murder); although the charge is the same, the sentence might be different for the purpose of Criminal Procedure (a common
crossover with Criminal Law). For example, when the government seeks to impose the death penalty on someone convicted
of felony murder, the Eighth Amendment imposes additional limitations on the states power to do so. The death penalty may
not be imposed if the defendant is merely a minor participant and did not actually kill or intend to kill. However, the death
penalty may be imposed if the defendant is a major participant in the underlying felony and exhibits extreme indifference to
human life. Confusing, isnt it?!!
5
Did the killing occur during the course of an enumerated felony? Is this felony inherently dangerous?
Dont write more than a sentence on the inherently dangerous part; its pretty obvious for the enumerated felonies. The
only situation in which it may NOT be obvious would be something like drug trafficking (not enumerated, but clearly an inherently dangerous felony because so many go wrong, the stakes are high and drug dealers often carry weapons and kill each
other). If thats the case, spend more time on this element.
6
This is where most points are lost on murder questions. People simply forget to analyze the underlying felony or
think they dont need to! Believe it or not, since guilt of the underlying felony is an element of felony murder, you MUST
analyze the felony and apply EACH element to the defendants actions. So if a burglary was committed, you cannot merely
say that the defendant is guilty of burglary; you MUST give the rule statement for burglary (breaking and entering of a dwelling house at night with intent to commit a felony therein) and analyze EACH element as though it were a straight burglary
question.

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CRIMINAL LAW

Distinct from Killing

Insert facts here 7
Foreseeability
Insert facts here 8
During the Commission of the Felony
Insert facts here 9
Statutory Degrees of Murder
In some jurisdictions, common law murder has been re-classified into two different categories:
first-degree murder and second-degree murder.
First-Degree Murder
First-degree murder occurs when the defendant perpetrates a killing that was
premeditated and deliberate.
Premeditated and Deliberate
A premeditated and deliberate killing occurs when the defendant takes time
to reflect on the idea of killing and makes the decision to kill while in a
dispassionate state. Premeditation can occur in mere seconds.
Insert facts here 10
7
This section is very short. It basically means the felony cant be the killing itself. It has to be something else, like a
robbery or a burglary.
8
Foreseeability is also where the money is!!! Dont mess it up! Dont just STATE that the death was foreseeable;
explain why it was foreseeable at the time the crime was planned. One easy way to do that is to state that violent crimes are
likely to cause panic in victims who may, in turn, use drastic measures such as killing to defend themselves. Another
explanation is that adrenalin is running while defendants are committing felonies; therefore they are likely to react without
thinking first and in a drastic way possibly resulting in a killing. Another explanation is that violent felonies carry long
sentences so if the defendant is afraid of getting caught, he may spontaneously decide to kill the victim to prevent the
victim from talking or in order to escape. See how much analysis this is??? Graders LOVE this stuff. USE your common
sense to get points!!
9
Murders that take place after the felony is over (and the defendants reach a place of safety) do not count.
However, those that occur while the defendant is fleeing the scene or running from the cops DO count.
10

Was the killing premeditated and deliberate?

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THE BAR CODE CHEAT SHEETS

THE BAR CODE 2013

Second-Degree Murder
Second-degree murder is all other killings that do not qualify as first-degree murder.11
Voluntary Manslaughter12
Voluntary manslaughter is a killing that occurs with adequate provocation (also known as
during the heat of passion).
Provocation
Provocation occurs when the defendant experiences a sudden and intense passion that
causes him or her to lose control, and that passion causes the killing (i.e. the defendant
was actually provoked). There must not be sufficient time between the provocation
and killing for the passion of a reasonable person to subside (cooling off period).
Insert facts here 13
Involuntary Manslaughter14
An involuntary manslaughter occurs when the defendant commits a killing with criminal
negligence or during the commission of an unlawful act.
Insert facts here 15

11
You can usually write see above here if you have already done a common law murder analysis because common
law murder was codified into second-degree murder. Note that second-degree murder now includes not only common law
murder but all other murders as well.
12
Dont write about this if it doesnt apply. But if you think you can make SOME argument that there was
provocation (even if its weak), then write about it.
13
Discuss how the circumstances surrounding the killing would have caused a reasonable person to fly off the
handle.
14
Dont write about involuntary manslaughter unless it applies. A famous case on this issue comes from the 2003
Rhode Island incident, in which the owners of a nightclub were charged with involuntary manslaughter (with criminal negligence) when their club caught on fire after a pyrotechnics display inside ignited some flammable soundproofing foam, which
led to flames engulfing the entire building, thereby killing 100 people. Prosecutors alleged that the owners showed a pattern
of poor management and dangerous decisions, including installing the highly flammable polyurethane foam in violation of
the state fire code, allowing bands to use pyrotechnics as part of their acts, and doing several things that made it harder for
concertgoers to evacuate the club. The fire was the fourth deadliest in U.S. history. In 2006, the owners pled no contest to
100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and received very minimal sentences.
15
Was the killing an accident? If so, was the defendant grossly reckless or negligent (like in the example above)? Or
was it committed during a misdemeanor or non-enumerated felony?

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CRIMINAL LAW

Causation
In order to qualify as homicide, the defendants acts must have been both the actual cause and
proximate cause of the victims death.16
Insert facts here
Defenses and Justifications
Insert defense here (with heading)17

16

Dont write about this unless it is debatable that the defendant caused the death. Look for intervening acts.

17
You can write about the defenses here OR at the end of each crime, which is preferable. Consider insanity,
mistake, self-defense, defense of others, defense of dwelling, crime prevention, and intoxication (voluntary and involuntary).
Only discuss those that apply.

10.

CRIMINAL LAW

CRIMINAL LAW QUESTION

Murder

On August 1, 2002, Dan, Art and Bert entered Vinces Convenience Store. Dan and Art pointed guns
at Vince as Bert removed $750 from the cash register. As Dan, Art, and Bert were running toward
Berts car, Vince came out of the store with a gun, called to them to stop, and when they did not do so,
fired one shot at them. The shot hit and killed Art. Dan and Bert got into Berts car and fled.
Dan and Bert drove to Chucks house where they decided to divide the $750. When Chuck said he
would tell the police about the robbery if they did not give him part of the money, Bert gave him $150.
Dan asked Bert for $300 of the remaining $600, but Bert claimed he, Bert, should get $500 because his
car had been used in the robbery. Dan became enraged and shot and killed Bert. He then decided to
take all of the remaining $600 for himself and removed the money from Berts pocket.
On August 2, 2002, Dan was arrested, formally charged with murder and robbery, arraigned and
denied bail. Subsequently, the court denied Dans request that trial be set for October 15, 2002, and
scheduled the trial to begin on January 5, 2003. On January 3, 2003, the court granted, over Dans
objection, the prosecutors request to continue the trial to September 1, 2003, because the prosecutor
had scheduled a vacation cruise, a statewide meeting of prosecuting attorneys, and several legal
education courses. On September 2, 2003, Dan moved to dismiss the charges for violation of his right
to a speedy trial under the United States Constitution.
1.

May Dan properly be convicted of either first degree or second degree murder, and, if
so, on what theory or theories, for:
a.
b.

The death of Art? Discuss.

The death of Bert? Discuss.

2.

May Chuck properly be convicted of any crimes, and if so, what crime or crimes?
Discuss.

3.

How should the court rule on Dans motion to dismiss? Discuss.

12.

CRIMINAL LAW

CRIMINAL LAW SAMPLE ANSWER

Murder

1.

May Dan be convicted of 1st or 2nd Degree Murder of Art?

First Degree Murder

First-degree murder occurs when the defendant perpetrates a killing that is premeditated and
deliberate.


Premeditation and Deliberate
A premeditated and deliberate killing occurs when the defendant takes time to reflect on the
idea of killing and makes the decision to kill while in a dispassionate state.
Here, Dan did not perpetrate the killing of Art; Vince did. Therefore, it would have been
impossible for Dan to have premeditated it.
Second Degree Murder/Common Law Murder
Second-degree murder is all other killings that do not qualify as first-degree murder. Under the
common law, murder was defined as the unlawful killing of another person with malice aforethought.
Malice aforethought exists when there is either: (1) intent to kill; (2) intent to inflict great bodily
injury; (3) reckless indifference to an unjustifiably high risk to human life; or (4) intent to commit a
felony that results in a killing (felony murder).
Here, since Dan did not perpetrate the killing, he could not have intended to kill, inflict great bodily
injury or demonstrated an unjustifiably high risk to human life. Therefore, the only theory under
which Dan can be guilty is felony murder.
Felony Murder
Any death caused during the commission of, or in the attempt to commit, a felony is murder.
Malice aforethought is implied by the defendants intent to commit a felony. Today, statutory
law distinguishes between first-degree felony murder and all other felony murders.
First-Degree Felony Murder
First-degree felony murder occurs when a killing occurs during the course of an enumerated
felony that is inherently dangerous. In most jurisdictions, the enumerated felonies are arson,
robbery, burglary, rape, mayhem and kidnapping.
Here, Dan committed an inherently dangerous felony robbery. Therefore, provided all other
elements of felony murder are met, Dan may be guilty of first-degree felony murder.

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THE BAR CODE 2013

Elements of Felony Murder

In order to be guilty of felony murder: (1) the defendant must be guilty of the underlying
felony; (2) the felony must be distinct from the killing itself; (3) the death must have been the
foreseeable result of the felony; and (4) the death must have occurred during the commission of
the felony and not after it was terminated.
Guilty of Underlying Felony - Robbery
Robbery involves the taking of personal property of another by force or threat of force
with intent to permanently deprive.
Here, Dan is guilty of robbery because, along with Bert and Art, he used a gun (use of
force) to take money (personal property) from Vince with intent to permanently deprive
Vince of the $750. Therefore, Dan is guilty of robbery.
Distinct from Killing
Here, the robbery is the felony committed (see above), which is distinct from the felony
of murder.
Foreseeability
Here, although Dan did not intend to kill Art or even Vince, it is entirely foreseeable
that a murder would result from the commission of a robbery. First, it is foreseeable
that when a threat of deadly force is used in the commission of a robbery, victims will
respond with deadly force in an effort to defend themselves. It is also foreseeable that
a defendant will use deadly force in order to avoid being caught while fleeing a crime
scene. Moreover, when tensions are high it is possible for weapons to accidentally
discharge. All of these events are the foreseeable result of a robbery, and therefore death
of any party involved is foreseeable.
During the Commission of the Felony
A felony is still ongoing until the defendants reach a place of safety.
Here, Art was killed as the felons were running out of Vinces convenient store. Given
that Art was killed in the middle of the getaway, the felony was still ongoing when Art
was killed.
Exception Redline Rule
Although Dan appears to be guilty of felony murder based on the above analysis, there is an
exception to felony murder called the Redline Rule, which provides that felons are not liable
for the deaths of any co-felons that occur during the commission of the crime, so long as the
death is caused by the victim or a police officer attempting to prevent escape or further criminal
activity. Here, the death was caused by the victim as he was trying to prevent the escape of the
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CRIMINAL LAW

criminals. Therefore, the Redline Rule applies and Dan is not guilty of the murder of Art.
1a.

May Dan be convicted of 1st or 2nd degree murder of Bert?

First-Degree Murder
Here, Dan killed Bert out of anger when Bert demanded more money. Since first-degree
murder requires deliberation, which is reflecting on the killing in a cool, dispassionate manner,
Dan likely did not deliberate before killing Bert, as he was reacting out of anger and was
certainly not dispassionate when he decided to kill.
Second-Degree Murder - Felony Murder
Although it is foreseeable that a felon would kill another over a disagreement about how to
perpetrate the crime, Dan can only be guilty of felony murder if the felony of robbery (of the
convenience store) was still ongoing at the time Bert was murdered. Although Dan and Bert
were hidden in a place where the cops couldnt see them, because Chuck demanded money
to house them and threatened to expose them if they didnt comply with his demands, an
argument can be made that Chucks house was not a place of safety, and therefore the felony of
robbery was still ongoing. Consequently, felony murder of Bert by Dan is a viable theory.
Second-Degree Murder - Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is a killing that occurs with adequate provocation (also known as
during the heat of passion).

Provocation
Provocation occurs when the defendant experiences a sudden and intense passion that
causes him or her to lose control, and that passion causes the killing (i.e. the defendant
was actually provoked). There must not be sufficient time between the provocation and
killing for the passion of a reasonable person to subside (cooling off period).
Here, it is arguable that Dan was sufficiently angry when Bert demanded more money
and therefore felt provoked enough to lose control. After having committed such a
serious crime with serious consequences, Dan probably felt entitled to the reward
money and was angered that it might be taken from him. Although reasonable people
would not kill over money, in this situation (where tensions were running high and the
parties likely dont have much money - hence the decision to rob a convenience store),
Dan may have been adequately and reasonably provoked.

2.

Chucks Crimes

Robbery - Accessory Liability (After-the-Fact)

An accessory after-the-fact is one who has knowledge that a crime was committed and assists a felon
in escaping the authorities. Although charged with accessory liability, under the common law, the
accessory was considered just as guilty as the principal and punished accordingly.
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Here, Chuck may be guilty of accessory to robbery since he housed Dan and Bert from the police after
the crime. The fact that he demanded part of the robbery money further demonstrates that he was
willing to participate in the crime and assist Dan and Bert. Therefore, Chuck is probably guilty of
accessory to robbery.
Felony Murder - Bert
For Chuck to be guilty of felony murder, he must be guilty of the underlying felony, robbery. As
noted above, Chuck is likely guilty of accessory to robbery (after-the-fact), but this is not the same as
robbery itself. For that reason, he likely is not guilty of felony murder.
Extortion
Extortion is obtaining property by consent but through threat of force or exposure.
Here, Chuck may be guilty of extortion since he received $150 after he threatened to reveal Dan and
Berts crime to the police. Although they consented to the exchange, it was only under the threat of
exposure and therefore Chuck is likely guilty of extortion.
3.

Dans Motion to Dismiss

6th Amendment
The 6th Amendment provides every defendant with the right to a speedy trial. To determine whether
this right has been violated, courts look to: (1) the length of delay; (2) the reason for the delay;
(3) whether the defendant asserted his 6th Amendment rights; (4) any prejudice to the defendant.
Here, the trial was technically scheduled for over one year after Dan was arrested, which is a
significant delay, but not necessarily for a murder trial where there are many witnesses to interview,
documents to prepare, etc. Moreover, Dan is not likely prejudiced by the delay since he is guilty,
at a minimum, of voluntary manslaughter, which carries a sentence much longer than one year.
Nonetheless, since Dan objected to the delay (its not clear whether he actually asserted his rights),
and the reasons for the delay are somewhat objectionable (a cruise and CLE courses that can be
rescheduled) it is possible that Dan will prevail on his motion to dismiss.

17.